crack_van | Indelible by NWHepcat (R)

I didn't realize how much I love post-Chosen fics until I put together my rec list for this month. I love how very different they can be, while still exploring the same basic territory of coping and growing after the fall of Sunnydale. This one is het, but I hope my fellow slashers will give it a chance, because it's great.

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Pairing: Xander/Dawn
Length: ≅ 14,500 words
Author on LJ:

nwhepcat
Author Website: Website
Why this must be read:

This is a sequel to The American Stranger, but it functions fine as a stand alone (in fact, I didn't realize it was a sequel until maybe the third time I read it). Xander brings Oz home from Africa with him, and Dawn meets them at the airport ... and Oz doesn't know her. The characters are very well drawn, the reactions are believable, and the premise fills in one of the gaps that the series never explored. This story is a brilliant look at how common experience and understanding bring people together, and it is one of the very few stories that convinces me of Xander/Dawn. The chemistry and development of their relationship feel natural and plausible.

A furrow appears at Oz's brow, and he looks at Dawn, then back at Xander. Some part of Xander thinks about the peculiar physical density Oz seems to have. He's small, but compact. Solid. It's like he's got his own gravity. He seems to gain mass at this moment, and Xander feels this gravity tugging at him as Oz says, "Buffy doesn't have a sister."

An expression crosses Dawn's face like her stomach is doing a slow roll. Xander's happens to be matching it. "Where'd you get that idea?" The question is inane, he knows, because Xander's the one who's gotten an idea -- along with Dawn and Buffy and Joyce and apparently the rest of the world -- and he knows exactly where it came from.

Go. Read. Love. Tell the author.

Indelible